Spain Hails Costa Rica for Helping Nicaraguan Refugees

In San Jose, Costa Ricaa on Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Spain will not suspend aid to Nicaragua despite the political crisis there and praised Costa Rica for its efforts to help Nicaraguans who are fleeing their country.

Sanchez made the comments during a joint press conference in San Jose with Costa Rican President Carlos Alvarado.

While some nations have suspended aid to Nicaragua to penalize the government of President Daniel Ortega after the deaths of hundreds of people in protests, the prime minister said that Spain will remain engaged with the Central American nation.

“We won’t withdraw aid from Nicaragua. That would mean forgetting about those who are suffering repression by the regime,” he said.

Regarding the flow of refugees from Nicaragua to neighboring Costa Rica, Sanchez pointed out that San Jose can benefit from Spain’s experience dealing with migration crises in Europe.

He said that facing the challenges posed by mass emigration from Nicaragua and from Venezuela, also plagued by political and economic crisis, will require a regional approach, as no single country can solve the problem on its own.

“Spain will always be on the side of the countries that make a great effort to not close their borders, but rather to treat people with respect for human rights, to regularize migration and to accept people who flee from political conflicts, as now in Nicaragua,” Sanchez said.

Acknowledging Spain’s experience with migration, Alvarado said he saw possibilities for cooperation with Madrid on the issue, while pledging that Costa Rica will not waver in its respect for human rights.

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